The invention relates to a wheel suspension system for the front wheels of a motor vehicle having an upper and a lower transverse link pivotally connected to a wheel carrier of the front wheel and having a spring-and-damper element which is connected with either the upper or the lower transverse link and is supported at the vehicle body.
A spring-and-damper element for a front wheel suspension has the purpose of ensuring a good damper transmission ratio as well as having a support point that is desirably and advantageously located in the suspension arrangement.
DE-PS 34 42 682 shows a wheel suspension where a spring-and-damper element is supported directly at the lower transverse link. The support point is disposed in the plane of the transverse link and can be changed on it, in which case, a change of position with respect to height is not provided.
It is an object of the invention to provide a front wheel suspension in which a support point on the transverse link side is to be arranged largely independently of the level of the transverse link.
According to the invention, this object is achieved by having the spring-and-damper element supported between the upper and the lower transverse link by a bearing on a bearing lever which is pivoted to the transverse link and is guided by way of a control lever disposed on a side of the vehicle body.
It is advantageous if the bearing lever is pivoted around an axis disposed adjacent to the wheel carrier and a joint connecting the transverse link to the wheel carrier. The bearing lever should be on an inclined acute angle with respect to a longitudinal horizontal plane extending through the link. The bearing lever comprises arms reaching around the transverse link on both sides to support the spring-and-damper unit approximately at the perpendicular wheel center transverse plane of the bearing.
It is also advantageous to have a suspension gear for a stabilizer pivotally held on a pin holding the bearing between the arms of the bearing lever.
A principal advantage achieved by the invention is that the lower support point of the spring-and-damper element may be displaced to a point which ensures a favorable arrangement of the spring-and-damper element with respect to space.
Thus, a first embodiment provides a pivotal connection to the upper transverse link by way of a bearing lever, and a second embodiment provides a pivotal connection to the lower transverse link. As a result, a lower support point may be provided between the two transverse links which, for reasons of space, is more advantageous than for the support point to be provided at the lower transverse link, since that would require the spring-and-damper element to be guided past the drive shaft which results in additional expenditures. A direct support at the upper transverse link is disadvantageous because it results in an unfavorable damper transmission ratio. As a result of the arrangement, which is free within limits (of the lower support point of the spring-and-damper element and of the length of the bearing lever or of the control lever which necessarily guides the lower support point within the radius around its bearing on the vehicle body side) the speed or the path of the support point and thus the actuating of the spring strut is controlled correspondingly during springing operations. That is, when the support point is displaced toward the longitudinal center plane of the vehicle, the covered path of the support point is shorter than in the case of a shifting of the support point in the direction to the wheel side. This results in a longer path of the support point during springing operations of the vehicle.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.